Heaven-and-Earth Holds Great Mysteries

Li Zhengyuan saw the newcomer, his face full of smiles and not the slightest hint of malice. He also saw that the Daoist possessed profound magic power and a vast, immeasurable aura.

He straightened his robes, formed a hand seal to cleanse himself from head to toe, adjusted his crown, then stood steadily with a bow, waiting for the Daoist to approach.

The Daoist was neither far nor near. One simply could not tell where he was. He seemed to be right before one's eyes, yet divine sense could not reach him. He seemed distant, yet he could be seen clearly, though he did not come close.

Seeing Li Zhengyuan standing there with a bow, waiting for him, the Daoist withdrew his magic and suddenly appeared before him, praising him with delight:

"Fellow Daoist, you are compassionate and possess splendid divine abilities. You have not wasted such spiritual brilliance!"

Li Zhengyuan was taken aback. Spiritual brilliance?

His suspicious nature flared up again. Could this Daoist have seen that I possess a great treasure?

Yet his expression remained unchanged. He bowed deeply and said, "Esteemed Master, this humble Daoist would not dare act rashly. But all living things share in suffering, and I could not bear to see life reduced to ashes. Thus, I presumptuously showed off a little. Please forgive my folly, Esteemed Master."

His attitude was humble and his manners impeccable, leaving no fault to be found. Hearing this, the Daoist smiled to himself, his face radiant as the spring breeze.

"This humble Daoist is ignorant. May I ask which great immortal you are, Esteemed Master, so that I may remember your kindness?"

"You need not probe into my background. I mean you no harm. This old Daoist is the Heaven-Earth Daoist, a friend of the Hongjun Daoist. Long ago, when I passed through this place, I had intended to set it right. Yet there was another great matter that only I could undertake, so the Hongjun Daoist advised me, saying that Heaven's decree was thus, and perhaps there would later be someone with compassion like yours.

Thus, I went with him to Outer Heaven and made a journey into Chaos. The Hongjun Daoist returned to the Primordial World first, while this Daoist gained some insight and only returned after nine kalpas. I was just about to come here when I discovered that someone had already repaired this place. After making a calculation, I found that you also had a connection with the Hongjun Daoist, so I came to take a look."

Li Zhengyuan thought, Fine, fine, fine. It was only a trivial matter, yet another great immortal has appeared. This Daoist's aura was unfathomably deep, comparable to that of the Hongjun Daoist.

And he had said that he was friends with the Hongjun Daoist, so he was surely extraordinary in cultivation as well.

"This humble Daoist merely acted on a whim. How could it possibly be worth Esteemed Master's attention?"

The two spoke for a while longer, exchanging courtesies. Li Zhengyuan discovered that the Heaven-Earth Daoist seemed to carry an aura somewhat similar to his own, but he did not dare investigate and felt deeply puzzled.

Li Zhengyuan pondered in secret. Though he was curious about the seemingly same-origin aura surrounding the Heaven-Earth Daoist, he knew it might touch upon the other man's secrets and could not rashly ask. Thus, he could only steal occasional glances at the Heaven-Earth Daoist, trying to glean some clue from his words and mannerisms.

Just then, the Heaven-Earth Daoist suddenly gave a sharp shout. "You foolish junior, why is your mind so unsettled?" His voice exploded beside Li Zhengyuan's ears like thunder.

Li Zhengyuan was startled by the sudden rebuke and instantly came back to his senses, realizing that his behavior just now had been somewhat rude. He hastily bowed again and said in alarm, "This humble Daoist has been discourteous. Please forgive me, Esteemed Master."

Yet before he could recover, he was astonished to discover that the space around them had undergone a wondrous transformation. The void seemed to twist and bend, heaven and earth seemed to lose their balance, and the once-stable order was utterly shattered.

The sky became extraordinarily heavy, pressing down until one could scarcely breathe, while the earth turned light and soft, as though it might collapse at any moment. Even the yin and yang energies were inverted, no longer circulating according to their usual laws.

In an instant, this once tranquil and peaceful place transformed into a desolate and vicious land, filled everywhere with a dangerous aura.

"Damn it, I'm finished now!" Li Zhengyuan wailed inwardly. This Daoist actually has such a terrible temper. The slightest thing that displeases him, and he wants to kill me here!

At that thought, his eyes filled with vigilance, and every hair on his body stood on end as though he faced a great enemy.

Just as Li Zhengyuan was terrified beyond measure, the Heaven-Earth Daoist laughed. "Idiot, you are likely my junior. This old Daoist merely intended to demonstrate the Heaven-and-Earth Mysteries for you. When did I ever intend to harm you?

If this old Daoist truly harbored ill intent, could your few top-grade innate spiritual treasures possibly block even a fraction of my power?"

Hearing this, Li Zhengyuan nearly wept. He cried inwardly, Heavens, why can everyone see through my thoughts so easily?!

He stopped letting his imagination run wild and hurriedly nodded. He quietly remained where he was, comprehending the Heaven-and-Earth Great Dao being displayed before him.